See this is where you people mistaken.... Not doing anything about is going to hurt russia bad, very Bad.....!!! Putin is playing his cards very well than US.. Do you really think putin had not thought about the west's sanctions or reactions????
For Christ's Sake the Guy's one of the best of KBG and brought back his country from Economical crisis... He's way too smart than Obama and his advisers..
Sanctions aren't going to be a big problem for Russia.. Their economy isn't like Chinese. Putin already answered man, he's not going to back down, What can US do now... I see US is the one is been cornered as of now.. Now you've a Cheerleader girl in Office remember He's not going to take any option off the table
Only time will tell whether this was a smart move but Putin, in my opinion, is trying to achieve two objectives through this.His popularity has been on the slide (in Putin terms) and public antipathy on the rise against endemic state corruption during his third term. Military intervention in Ukraine has given Putin's regime a shot in the arm and his personal ratings are now back over 50-60%. War rhetoric has reached fever pitch in the Russian media and opposition events, including one in Moscow last week to protest the imprisonment of opposition activists, have received little media coverage and consequently failed miserably.
Since 2008, Russia has been pumping billions to upgrade the port of Novorussicsk with the view to relocating the Black Sea Fleet there so Crimea's strategic importance is not what it's made out to be.Opening of the Nord stream means that Ukraine's role as a gas transit route to the West is also diminishing.
Given the above, Putin through his Crimean adventure appears to be calling the West's bluff about 'supporting Ukraine to the hilt' militarily and financially and demonstrating to the Ukrainian nation that their destiny lies firmly with their slavic brothers to the East. The western counter offensive till date has been limited to diplomatic noises and a renewed assault on the Rouble, which was already under pressure from the Fed taper and has lost around 15% since January. Even this is likely to work in Putin's favour since 'devaluation lite' is unlikely to drive up short term domestic inflation in Russia due to its large current account surplus, huge foreign exchange reserves and absence of significant foreign debt.In fact gentle devaluation of the Rouble would, perversely, fill Russian coffers and help balance the budget this financial year, which would have been impossible otherwise.An added bonus would be a sharp spike in crude prices in response to the Russia-West standoff, which is highly likely due to Russia's status as the world's biggest oil exporter.
If Putin holds his nerve and plays his cards right, he would successfully retain the Russian speaking and, more importantly, economically viable part of Ukraine as Russia's client state and secure his own political future for the next 10 years.
Interesting times...
. He keep drawing it in all wrong places. But here is another feather for Obama's cowboy hat.
...but would love to see obama and Dmitry Medvedev eating burger together in that time too.
